The Legend of Zelda Chronicles of the Links, 1
by gracegrrl007
Summary: When Young Link, Toon Link, and Link discover that the Zeldas have been kidnapped by a snake-creature named Yuriel, they must team upwith some friends, old and new, to conquer the evil! Romance, evil, and danger ensue. Will the Links win?
1. A Shadow Arises

Three boys sat in their cottage. The middle child glared angrily up at the others.

"It's just not fair!" he wailed. "I mean, I'm the shortest, even though I'm older than Young Link. How can that even be possible?" The youngest walked up and awkwardly tapped the middle child's shoulder.

"There, there…" he said. The oldest rolled his eyes and stepped over to his brothers. He put his arm around the crying brother's shoulder and hugged him.

Young Link tried to help by patting his sibling in the back. "Toon Link, don't cry," he said. "You might not be tall, but you're brave, and awesome, and…and…" He trailed off. "I've run out of adjectives," he whispered urgently in his oldest brother's ear.

The oldest stopped hugging Toon Link and looked at Young Link.

"So, Link, what are your ideas?" the youngest boy asked, his eyes gleaming with hope. Link said nothing; only shook his head disapprovingly.

"It's OK," Toon Link said, sniffling. "I'm alright now."

Suddenly, they heard a girl screech. Link rolled his eyes and pursed his lips, as if to say, "Really? Again?" Young Link rushed to the window.

"Young Zelda?" he called.

"Help us, please!" came the faint reply. A huge, snake-like creature with tentacles was gripping the three sister princesses of Hyrule, the boys' native kingdom.

"Toon Zelda!" Toon Link shouted, rushing towards the window. But, by the time he got there, the monster had vanished.

"Yuriel will rule this world!" an eerie voice cried from out of no where. Young Link glanced at his brothers.

"I'm guessing we can't defeat him with normal weapons…?" he questioned. There was a moment of silence. Then Toon Link jumped up.

"I call the Four Sword!" he exclaimed, running out of the house.

"I get the Master Sword!" Young Link yelled, jumping up and following Toon Link. Link shook his head.

_ My brothers can use their swords,_ he thought, a grin spreading over his face. _But my weapon will be the moonlight._ Link remembered that, when in a sheet of twilight, he turned into a werewolf. But, even though he didn't need a sword, he got up and followed his brothers out anyway.

At the Four Sword sanctuary, the brothers waited anxiously for Toon Link to draw the sword. He reached out and grabbed it.

"Wait!" he exclaimed suddenly, taking his hand away.

"What? Why did you stop?" Young Link asked.

"If I draw the Four Sword, Vaati and his demons will be released," Toon Link replied.

"No they won't," Young Link argued. "You destroyed the Dark Mirror, remember?" Toon Link was silent for a second.

"Still, I'm not taking any chances," he said, warily taking the sword in his hand again. He drew it and quickly replaced it with his old sword. "Hang on. Do I need to say the words as I'm drawing the sword?" he asked his siblings. Link shook his head.

"I don't think so," Young Link said. Toon Link shrugged.

"Oh, Four Sword, lend me your strength!" he called. Suddenly, there was a flash of light and, when Link and Young Link looked up again, there were four Toon Links right in front of them.

"Yay, I'm back!" the Toon Link in red cried, hugging the others. The one in blue rolled his eyes.

"It's good to see-er, myself- again," Toon Link said.

"Great, you're all together again," Young Link said, slightly annoyed. "Now, can we go get my sword now?" Toon Link nodded.

"Wait, are we all keeping the same nicknames?" the red Toon Link asked.

"Sure, Red, why not?" Toon Link replied, walking off. "Well, Young Link, are you coming?" he called over his shoulder. Young Link muttered something and followed. Link stared at the sword in the place where the Four Sword once was. He drew his own sword, a larger version of the Master Sword. He drew Toon Link's sword and stuck his in, just in case. Then he raced after his siblings. Soon, they reached the forest that contained the Master Sword for Young Link. Young Link walked over and pulled the sword out of the stone.

"Alright, I've got it," Young Link said, starting to run off.

"Hey! Wait for all of us!" the Toon Link in blue called, running after them.

"Hold it," the Toon Link in purple called. "Doesn't your oldest brother need a weapon?" Link shook his head and gestured at the moon.

"Oh yeah, that's right! Link turns into a wolf in twilight," Toon Link explained. "Don't worry about my brothers, Vio. Leave that to me."

The six boys set off again, looking for some trace of the monster that kidnapped the Zeldas. After hours of searching, the blue Toon Link plopped on the floor.

"This is hopeless!" he exclaimed. "Are you sure this guy even exists? I mean, you've been known to be wrong at times."

"Gee, Blue, it's awfully nice of you to insult yourself and both of your brothers who also saw this snake-ish creature," Toon Link said, smiling. Blue stood up again, glared angrily at Toon Link, and then kept going. All of a sudden, a cloud of smoke popped up in front of them. The creature they were searching for appeared, cackling evilly.

"You're too late," he said, grinning.

"Where are you keeping Zelda, you fiend?" Blue cried. Yuriel laughed.

"As if I'd tell you!" he snapped, zapping them all with shadowy fire. He reached out with his tentacles and grabbed Blue.

"Blue!" Toon Link cried, gripping his sword and rushing forwards.

"You never learn, do you?" Yuriel asked, grabbing Red, Toon Link, and Vio.

"Put my brother down!" Young Link screamed. He took out his boomerang and tossed it. Yuriel grabbed it and crushed it, and then he took Young Link.

"Link! Help us, please!" Young Link called.

"Oh, no you don't!" Yuriel exclaimed, reaching out for Link. Link rolled out of the way, slashing Yuriel's tentacle as he passed. He ran towards a sheet of twilight. His toe touched the edge, and then he felt something on his foot. Not bothering to turn around, knowing exactly what was going on, Link jabbed his sword into the ground. He pulled himself forwards, into the twilight.

Finally, just as he got his upper body through the moonlight, Yuriel's tentacle yanked on his ankle and he flew backwards. But, at that moment, the transformation took place. Link was soon a wolf. He scratched off the tentacle that held him and then leaped at Yuriel's body, bouncing off and biting the tentacle that held Young Link.

"Thanks," Young Link gasped. Landing on the floor, he ran quickly to the moonlight and hid behind a tree.

Vio took out his bow and shot at the tentacle that held Toon Link, and Toon Link landed, bouncing off of his older brother's back and slicing Vio free. Vio landed on the ground and ran off to go get his arrow.

Toon Link hid behind the tree with Young Link. Blue used his sword to cut himself free and dropped to the ground, racing behind the tree with the others. Vio grabbed his arrow and ran behind the tree too. Toon Link poked his head out from behind the tree and tossed his boomerang, slicing the tentacle that held Red. Yuriel screeched. Red fell and landed safely on Wolf Link's back.

"Wheeee!" Red exclaimed while sliding off of his rescuer.

"You fools!" Yuriel cackled, his tentacles growing back. "You may think you can beat me, but you cannot. Especially if you are no longer together!"

There was a big flash of light. The exposure to the latterly mentioned thing turned Link back to normal. He ran towards Yuriel, his sword out. Yuriel grabbed his arm and flipped him. Then he grabbed his neck and threw him at a tree. "Link! Are you OK?" Young Link called. There was no reply. Young Link was worried for a second; then he remembered that Link doesn't speak. Suddenly, the light died down. Young Link opened his eyes and found himself in front of a cave.

"Link?" he called. "Toon Link? Hello?" Nothing happened. "Hey, guys, if you're trying to scare me, it worked," he called again. Young Link poked his head into the cave. "Hello?" he yelled. _Hello…hello…hello…_the cave responded. Young Link came out. Fear gripped his heart, cold as ice. "Where are you guys?! Help me!" he cried. He collapsed on the ground, tears sliding down his cheeks. "Where are you?" he whispered.


	2. Young Link's Journey Begins

Young Link stood up. _How long have I been sitting here?_ he thought. The sun was beginning to rise.

"Well, my best chance of finding the others is if I go inside that cave," he whispered to himself. Gripping his sword tightly, he walked into the huge hole in the mountain in front of him.

The cave was dark and damp. Every two minutes, a sound like the growling of a thousand tigers sounded from somewhere near Young Link. He gripped his sword even harder until his hands trembled with the effort. He couldn't see anything and had no idea if he'd already passed his older brothers, but he didn't dare call out to them in case the wrong ears heard his voice.

The growl sounded again, and this time it sounded like it was right behind Young Link. He spun around, hoping to see something, but nothing caught his eye. He shivered. _This place is really creeping me out,_ he thought.

"Hey there, Mister Monster Thing, if you're out there, I'd like it if you'd growl, or go stand in the light or something, because I can't see you," Young Link said loudly, hoping that it wasn't a monster, but a friendly creature that he was talking to. In reply, the thing growled again, and amber eyes glowed in front of Young Link.

"Oh," he said quietly. "Thanks for telling me that you are indeed behind me." The creature snarled, revealing bright white teeth, sharp from years of chewing on rocks, no doubt. In the corner of his vision, Young Link spotted a pile of bones-human bones. He gulped. "Wow. Um…I see…you also are not a herbivore?" he stammered, hoping that a light would soon blaze on so that he could at least find out what the thing that was trying to kill him was. Then a thought struck him.

_What if those bones are those of my siblings? They're both so strong and brave-but if they couldn't get past here…_ He stopped. He didn't dare finish the thought. Suddenly, a thin beam of light shone through a hole in the ceiling of the cave, just big enough for Young Link to see that the creature was a huge, grey and black tiger, with long claws, sharp teeth and paws big enough to encase Young Link's entire upper body in it.

"Um…you don't happen to be on a diet, do you?" Young Link asked. The creature roared. Young Link shook his head. "Didn't think so," he said. "Hey, if it's OK with you, Mister Monster Tiger, I'm just going to…you know, run for my life now," he said, immediately turning and running off as fast as he could go. The tiger reared up on its hind legs and brought its forelegs crashing down. The force caused rocks to tumble to the ground, blocking the path that Young Link was about to take in the fork in the path that he had reached.

Young Link stopped, skidding, and made a sharp turn to the left. Dark brown boulders crashed down everywhere, and it wasn't long before he found out that the tiger thing had followed him. Growls echoed behind him, getting closer and closer every second.

Young Link froze. He had been just about to plunge off of a cliff. There was nowhere for him to go but back. He turned around and ran back, freezing and taking two steps backwards as the tiger came around the corner. He gulped. There was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. "Great; while my brothers are off, probably eating like kings, I'm stuck in a cave to die," he muttered. There was a puff of smoke and Yuriel appeared, laughing evilly. "Oh, come on! Seriously, as if things are not bad enough already!" Young Link cried.

"Don't worry, I'm here to help you," Yuriel said.

"Really?" Young Link asked. "Wow! Thank you, thank you so much! You know, you're really not that bad. Did I mention that I love the way your tentacles appear today? Wow, your fire looks great!" he said, cheerfully, all the while skipping towards Yuriel. Then he froze. "Wait a second," he said, narrowing his eyes. "What's the catch?"

"I will only help you if you join the side of darkness," Yuriel said.

"Oh," Young Link said. All was silent. The tiger stared at Young Link, teeth bared, waiting for the right time to strike. Then Young Link spoke again.

"Did you do something with your scales?" he asked Yuriel. "Wow, it looks amazing! And you look so strong. I'll bet your scales can withstand being rammed by a train. You are so clever, Yuriel! Forget what I said earlier. You're the evilest person in the world! And your tail is so cool! Oooh, you're tentacles are awesome. They look like mini Yuriels, only smaller and red! Boy, if I weren't your buddy, I would be so scared right now! By the way, it was so nice of you to help me! Oh yes, did I mention how much I admire you? And you have the coolest teeth, too!" Young Link grinned. Yuriel looked unfazed.

"Does this mean you're joining me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Young Link opened his mouth, and then he closed it again. There was a long pause.

"Um…weeeeeeelll…no, I'm not. But, who needs me? I mean, you're SO evil already! We couldn't beat you earlier. You have magical powers. I bet all the other evil people are jealous. You're just like, 'Evil! Evil, evil, evil, evil! I'm so evil and vicious and…and…EVIL! Yes, I'm so evil! Evil, that's me! And you're so jealous, yes, so jealous, because I'm EVIL! Yes, I'm evil! Evil…evil…' You know what? You're so evil; you might burst unless you balance your evilness out with some goodness. I know-you should help me!" Young Link said. _These monologues are getting fun,_ he thought.

"I'm not going to help you unless you join me," Yuriel said, still unfazed. Young Link sighed.

"I guess the monologues didn't work, then?" he asked Yuriel.

"I'm too evil for it to work," Yuriel said, a smile on his face. The tiger still crouched, guarding the exit, at the passageway behind Young Link. Clearing his throat, Young Link leaped across the gap, missing it by a long shot. But, he didn't give up, and pushed himself forwards until he was able to grab the side of the cliff and climb up to the top.

"Ta-da!" he exclaimed. Yuriel clapped.

"Well done," he said. "Now, I must be off. Adios, my 'buddy'!"

"Wait-aren't you going to attack me? Or are you good now?" Young Link asked. Yuriel shook his head.

"No to both. I'm too evil to do that," he said, vanishing. Shrugging, Young Link raced off, out of the cave.

"Sayonara, Mister Monster Tiger!" Young Link called.


	3. The Girl at the Village

Link crawled around in the grass, slowly inching towards a small village in the distance. He'd been crawling for about sixteen minutes. He reached the fountain outside the town and pulled himself up onto it. He cupped his hands and reached down for a drink, but then his tiredness took over and he collapsed on the ground. The last thing he saw was a girl with long, wavy black hair and emerald-colored eyes coming towards him. Then everything went black

"Wake up…please, wake up," a female voice whispered.

"May, just give up. He's obviously very hurt. He's probably dead," said another voice. Link blinked his eyes open. The girl from the village was sitting on a bed that he was lying on, and a woman who looked like her mother stood in the doorway. Link closed his eyes again, content just to listen.

"But Mother," the girl said. "I think he might be the One." Link heard footsteps, and when the woman spoke again, it sounded much closer.

"How do you know? He's a foreigner, May. It can't be him," the woman whispered harshly.

_What are they talking about?_ Link wondered. He lifted his head and opened his eyes just in time to see the woman standing up and walking off.

"He doesn't seem to want to speak, Mother," the girl said. The woman said nothing. The girl turned around just as Link plopped his head back on the pillow. "Hello?" the girl whispered. Link smiled weakly. The girl grinned. "Mother!" she called.

"Now what, May?" the woman sighed.

_That girl must be May,_ Link thought.

"He's awake," May replied, grinning.

The woman came in the room and gasped. Link lifted his head and smiled weakly again. "He's not dead…" the woman whispered. "But he's so weak! How did he survive?" Link's smile vanished, replaced by a scowl.

_She wouldn't be saying that if she saw me battling Yuriel! The only reason I fainted was because he flung me and I was tired and hurt, _he thought. He tried to raise his arm to wave and winced at the pain in his shoulder from when Yuriel had flipped him by the arm.

"Are you OK?" May asked, a look of genuine concern on her face.

"Of course not! He's weak and half starved, oh, you poor, poor thing!" May's mother gasped. "May, be good to our guest and go get him some food and water. Does that sound good, dear?" she asked Link. Link gave a slight nod. Pity shone in May's mom's eyes.

_She feels sorry for me? I can take care of myself. I'm not a child! _Link thought again. May came back with some food and water.

"Mother, you can leave now," May said.

"Oh-um, OK. But, you tell me how he turns out, alright?" the woman asked. She glanced at Link and shook her head. "The poor dear," she muttered before getting up and walking off. Link rolled his eyes. May giggled.

"I saw you at the fountain," she remarked after her mother had left. "Are you thirsty?" Link nodded. May took the cup and helped Link sit up. "Here, drink," she ordered. Link took the cup in his unhurt hand and drank. May reached down for a loaf of bread. "Sorry about my mother, by the way," she said. "I'm an only child."

"May? How is he?" came the woman's voice. May rolled her eyes while handing Link a slice of bread.

"He's fine, Mother," she called.

"Where is he from?" May's mom called again. May glanced over at Link.

"Hyrule?" she guessed. Link nodded.

_How did she know?_ he wondered.

"He's from Hyrule, Mom," May called.

"Are you sure, May? That's a very long way from here," May's mom called.

"I don't think he would lie," was May's reply.

"Well, Hyrulians have been known to lie."

"Yes, but I don't think he would."

"You never know, May. You never know who you can trust these days!"

"And gone with the pity phase," May said to Link. "Get ready for her to hate you and try to kick you out of the house with a broom." Link rolled his eyes again.

_ I don't know which one would be worse,_ he thought. May giggled.

"Good one," she whispered. Link's eyes widened and he raised one eyebrow. "I can read minds. My great-great-great-great-grandmother could too. It's something special in our family that happens to every child born under the light of a comet," May explained. "Some of the stone is detached and, if we're lucky, it will hit a star when it passes and gather up stardust. The stardust catches on fire and hits us. It's painful for a while, but once the burn heals, we have the amazing ability to read minds," May finished, gasping for breath.

_A bit of a mouthful…? _Link thought.

"Yeah," May said. She paused for a second. Then came the last question Link expected to hear. "Are you mute?" Stunned, Link thought no reply. "I thought so," May said. Link blinked. May said nothing. For a while, they just stared at each other. Then May spoke again.

"Come with me. You have to see the cave!" She dragged Link out of the bed and to the front door. May's mother was in the kitchen holding a broom.

"Oh, you're leaving," she said when she saw them. She narrowed her eyes. "I thought I was going to have to hit you with a broom." May rolled her eyes again. Link stepped out the door with her. They ran to a large cave at the end of the village. There was nothing inside except for darkness.

"This is the Tunnel of Darkness," May explained. "It's really dangerous in here, because no one can see what's inside. There's rumored to be a huge treasure at the end. Many people have gone in to find it, but not one has come back out again. There is a prophecy inside, though," she added. "'The path will be lit when a mute hero finds their voice.' I think it might be you who can light the way," she finished, glancing at Link. "What do you say? Do you want to go inside?" she asked.

_It's worth a try, I guess,_ Link thought. _By the way, my name's Link. Nice to meet you._ He walked into the cave. May followed, a candle in her hand. As soon as she entered the cave, however, a random wind blew out the fire. Suddenly, there was a puff of smoke and an eerie pale blue light floated in front of them. Yuriel appeared inside the light.

"Surprise," he said, grinning evilly.

_Yuriel! What does he want?_ Link thought, drawing his sword May dropped the candle-holder. It clattered to the floor. She scooted behind Link. Yuriel's eyes drifted to where she now stood, only her emerald-colored eyes visible against the shadowy gloom.

"A new friend, no doubt?" Yuriel asked, glancing at Link. Link gritted his teeth, glaring at Yuriel. Cackling viciously, Yuriel reached out with a tentacle and grabbed May.

"Hey! Get off me! Link, help!" May shrieked. Link lunged towards her. Yuriel swiped him away.

"You must join the side of darkness," Yuriel demanded.

_And if I don't? Because I won't,_ Link thought. May glanced at him. Then she turned to Yuriel.

"And if he doesn't…?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Then I will kill you."

May gasped. "You wouldn't…really kill me…would you?" May asked. Yuriel smiled.

"Say no and you can watch me," he said, staring at Link. "Oh, yes. And I won't let her go unless I have a spoken answer." Link froze.

_ Tell him I said never in a million years, and that if he doesn't let you go in three seconds, I'm going to rip his tentacles off and feed them to the tigers,_ Link thought.

"He says no," May said. She glanced at Link and winked. Yuriel just gazed at Link.

"If he says no, he'll have to tell me himself," Yuriel said.

"B-but he can't speak!" May gasped. Link winced. He could feel May's terror as if it were his own. "Let go of me, you monster!" May screeched, wiggling. Yuriel squeezed. May stopped squirming. "Ow," she whimpered. Link charged towards Yuriel again. Yuriel squeezed more. May squeaked. Link froze. His eyes widened.

"Do you believe me now?" Yuriel asked, laughing. "And since you have chosen not to tell me weather or not you will join me, I have no choice but to kill this lovely girl!" He squeezed harder.

_No!_ Link screamed in his mind. He had to find a way to speak. May opened her mouth to say something, but it closed a second later along with her eyes. _He can't kill her,_ Link thought again. "May!" Link cried, rushing forwards. A light flickered on. Link froze. "I did it…" he whispered. The light blazed on, brighter than the sun.

"Augh!" Yuriel screamed, dropping May to cover his eyes. A second later he vanished. "You have not won yet…" his voice echoed. The light died down a bit. May was lying on the floor, unconscious. Link ran over and knelt beside her.

"May…please wake up. You can't die," he whispered. A tear slid down his cheek. _After all I went through to save her, she died after all! _He cried in his head. Then May's eyes flickered open.

"Link?" she whispered. "Did…did you die? Why is it so bright?" Link smiled.

"I'm not dead, and neither are you," he whispered back.

"Then this is a dream," May said quietly. "It has to be. You're speaking!"

"It's not a dream, either. You're awake."

"But…but that means…"

"Yes. I've found my voice," Link said, still smiling. May smiled as big as she could.

"Th…thank you, Link. Thank you; you saved me," she whispered. Her eyes closed again.

"Come on, May. Let's go find that treasure," Link said, helping May stand up. May leaned on Link's shoulder and they walked on to the room at the end of the tunnel.


	4. Sydney and Yuriel

"OW!" Toon Link exclaimed as he landed on the ground. He heard giggling and turned around. Red was sitting on Vio.

"Sorry, Vio," Red said, climbing off. Vio said nothing; he just stood and brushed himself off. Then he smiled at Red.

"These stupid brambles won't let go!" came a voice. The three Toon Links turned and burst out laughing at the sight of Blue stuck in some brambles. "Yeah, it's hilarious," Blue said, rolling his eyes. "Now get me out of here!"

"Gee, I don't know," Red said, grinning. "You can't hit me like that."

"Just wait 'till I get my hands on you," Blue muttered crossly.

"You know, Red was right. Maybe we should leave him here," Vio said, turning to Toon Link, who was still laughing uncontrollably.

"I'm serious! Get me out of here, now!" Blue screamed.

"All right, all right," Vio said, chuckling again. "Hold still or you'll never get out." Blue stopped squirming and the Toon Links set to work. Soon, they freed Blue and set out towards the jungle beyond. Drawing their swords, the Toon Links cut through the thick jungle foliage until they came to a clearing.

"That's weird," Toon Link said. "You don't usually see a random clearing in the middle of the jungle."

"Are we going to die?" Red whispered.

"You're an idiot." Blue stated matter-of-factly, turning to Red.

"Tell yourself to stop being mean to me!" Red whimpered, turning to Toon Link.

"Don't call him me! That's an offensive term!" Toon Link snapped back.

"Oh, and what's so offensive about being me?" Blue asked, turning on Toon Link.

"Everything!" Toon Link replied. The argument escalated as the Toon Links yelled at each other. Suddenly, there was a very familiar puff of smoke and Yuriel appeared. Vio, being the only one not involved in the argument, was the first one to notice him.

"Uh…guys? He's here…hello?" he asked, nervously tapping Toon Link's shoulder. Toon Link shooed him away, not bothering to look up. "Uh, guys?" Vio shoved Blue to try to get his attention. Blue did nothing. Vio tried again. Yuriel just stood there, staring at them. "GUYS!" Vio cried, shaking Red.

"Ow! Stop shaking me, Vio, that really hurts!" Red cried back, spinning around. The others stopped for a second, before turning back to their fight. Red, however, spotted Yuriel and froze. He whimpered.

"Hello, little red hero," Yuriel said, extending a tentacle to Red. "I'm Yuriel. What's your name?" Red stared at him.

"AHHHHHHH! He's here, guys, Yuriel is here!" he screamed, whipping out his sword. "Vio, why didn't you tell us?!" Vio rolled his eyes as the others turned slowly towards Yuriel.

"Oh, so now you show yourself, you monster!" Blue cried.

"Oh, now I wouldn't call myself a monster. Shadow or demon is more like it," Yuriel said, grinning.

"Well, no matter what you're called, you'll be called 'dead' soon!" Blue called, rushing towards Yuriel. Yuriel reached out and wrapped a tentacle around Blue's neck.

"Blue!" Red cried, about to run forwards. Vio laid a hand on his shoulder.

"All I ask is that you join me, and I'll let him go. If it takes you to long to decide, he'll die, though." Yuriel grinned.

"We'll never join you, you monster-demon!" Toon Link called.

"Oh, well. I'll just have to kill him. Such a shame-he looked like such a strong boy," Yuriel said. He looked down. "You'll join me, right?" he asked Blue. Blue drew his sword and swiped at Yuriel's tentacle. Yuriel dodged. Vio stared at Blue. With a gleam of understanding, Blue fell limp, pretending to be dead. Yuriel cackled evilly and dropped him. "Time's up," he whispered, vanishing.

"Haha!" Red exclaimed after Yuriel had gone. "Yuriel thought he could outsmart us, eh? Well, he can't! 'Cause we're fast, we're mean, and we can do-hey, what's that?" Red pointed to the edge of the clearing, where a pair of large bright blue eyes was visible.

"Hello?" came a feminine voice. A young girl came out of the jungle. She had hot- pink hair and she wore a reddish-pink dress and pink heels. She had big, blue eyes and rosy cheeks, and she had pink lipstick on. "Who are you?"

"We could ask you the same thing," Vio said, stepping cautiously forwards.

"I'm Sydney," the girl said, her face suspicious. "Your turn."

"I'm Vio, that's Toon Link in the green, that's Red in the-well, in the red-and Blue is the one lying on the ground," Vio said, his own face reflecting Sydney's suspicion.

"Is he gone?" Blue asked, sitting up and gasping for breath.

"Blue! Yay, you're alright!" Red cried, running over to Blue.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. All-" He paused to breathe. "All thanks to Vio, I guess." Vio nodded. Sydney's eyes grew huge and she ran over and collapsed next to Blue.

"Oh my goodness, are you OK?" she asked, her suspicion replaced with shock.

"Um…yeah, I think so. Had me for a pretty long time, though."

"Who? Who had you? Wait, I'm thoroughly confused now."

"Yuriel. You're telling me you don't know who Yuriel is?"

"I never…wait-OH MY GOODNESS, YURIEL! The same Yuriel that killed my best friend, Jack? You BATTLED him? And…I'm guessing…you won?"

"Well, we didn't exactly battle him…" Blue replied.

"Is he dead?" Sydney cut in, cocking her head, a questioning gleam in her left eye.

"Um, duh. If he were dead, he wouldn't be able to say something and disappear in a puff of smoke," Blue said crossly.

"Excuse my curiosity," Sydney snapped.

"Gladly," Blue said, rising to his feet. Sydney rose as well.

"Is there something wrong with you?" she asked harshly.

"Yes," Toon Link cut in. Blue glared at him before looking back at Sydney.

"No, there is absolutely nothing wrong with me. Are you trying to be an idiot or were you just born that way?" Blue asked, narrowing his eyes and grinning. Sydney's mouth dropped open and a wand materialized in her hands.

"Do you really want to say that?" she hissed through gritted teeth. The sun on the top of the wand began to glow, and Sydney gripped the blue handle tighter.

"Uh, yes. I do. You know, you're awfully pretty," Blue added, drawing his sword. "I really would hate to hurt you. But, if you want to battle, then kindly include me."

"Oh, come on! Do you really think this is helping things? We need to find my brothers!" Toon Link exclaimed angrily. Sydney snapped her head towards him. The wand slowly disappeared.

"Your brothers? What happened to your brothers?" she asked. Toon Link's head hung and his eyes closed.

"I…I think they were teleported somewhere else in this world." Toon Link replied. Sydney looked sympathetic.

"By Yuriel? We have to get them back, then!" Sydney shouted, racing into the jungle. "Follow me!" she called over her shoulder. Blue shrugged and ran after her and Vio and Red followed as well. Toon Link looked up at the sky.

"Don't worry, guys," he whispered. "I'm trying to find you." He raced after Sydney and the others.


	5. Good Deeds

Young Link raced along in the cave, his legs churning as he hurried to find the exit and his brothers. He heard growling everywhere, and the gloomy cave showed no signs of getting any lighter then the eerie pale light it currently produced. He ran faster.

"Yuriel? If you're here, could you come out? I'm-kinda freaked out right now..." he cried, stopping. "Um...I guess you aren't...uh...you know, here."

"Oh, no, I'm here," came Yuriel's voice. He appeared in a puff of smoke. "Hi, 'buddy'."

"Yay, company," Young Link said. They walked for a long time. The end of the cave didn't seem to be getting any closer. "Hey, Yuriel, does this tunnel ever end?" Young Link asked.

"I'm sure it does," Yuriel replied. "Eventually." Young Link gulped.

"But how long is 'eventually'?" he asked.

"I'll tell you if you join me," Yuriel answered.

"Oooh, kay, I don't need to know THAT badly!" Young Link exclaimed, jumping away. Yuriel shrugged.

"OK, whatever. Just think about it, alright?" he asked.

"OK, I'll think about it," Young Link said, stopping and sighing. "Well, I thought about it. The answer is still no!" he exclaimed, skipping away. Yuriel just shrugged. Young Link suddenly froze. A light shone at the end of the hall. "LIGHT! HOOPLA!" Young Link shouted, racing forward. There were left turns and right turns everywhere, but Young Link ignored them, thinking that if he just kept going forwards he'd eventually reach the end. But the light never got closer. Yuriel rushed forwards with him.

"I'll teleport you to the end if you join me," he called out.

"NEVER!" Young Link cried. Then he froze. The light hadn't gotten any closer, and Young Link had been running for a quarter hour. "Is it the turns?" he whispered.

"Yes," Yuriel whispered. Young Link jumped. Then he took the left turn and was plunged into darkness once again. He paused and blinked while his eyes adjusted to the gloom. Then he surged forwards at full speed, Yuriel following close behind. Young Link stopped suddenly. Yuriel skidded to a stop as well.

"This is weird," Young Link said.

"What is?" Yuriel asked.

"I don't see the light," Young Link said. He turned right and ran. Yuriel followed. Suddenly Young Link got it. He didn't see the light here either, but it must have something to do with these turns! Yuriel nodded behind him.

"Go left first," he said, as if he'd read Young Link's mind. Young Link nodded and turned left. He paused at the next turn and turned questioningly to face Yuriel. "Straight," Yuriel said. Young Link nodded and continued straight. Yuriel followed. They kept going, Yuriel directing Young Link through the tunnel and Young Link running as fast as he could to reach the end. Finally, they were out, and Young Link collapsed on the floor breathing heavily.

"Why did you help me?" Young Link asked Yuriel.

"Think of it as a 'good deed'," Yuriel said.

"But-but you're evil! Evil people don't do good deeds!" Young Link gasped.

"This one does." Yuriel disappeared in a puff of smoke. Young Link just shrugged and ran off to find his brothers.


	6. The Tunnel of Light

Link and May strolled to the end of the lit tunnel. "Is the treasure really here, I wonder?" May whispered to herself.

"Only one way to find out," Link whispered back. May jumped, turning to face him.

"Did I say that out loud?" she asked. Link grinned and nodded. May giggled. She continued to lean on Link because of her injuries and walked with a slight limp in both feet, most likely because she was so weak.

"Are we almost there?" Link asked. May nodded.

"I think so," she said. Sure enough, after a few minutes, they reached a large chamber in the back of the cave full of gold and jewels of all kinds. May laughed. "We're RICH!" she shrieked, throwing herself into a pile of emeralds mixed in with gold. She threw a handful up in the air and it showered down like raindrops all around her. Link just shook his head and walked in. May laughed again. Then she stood. "Isn't this exciting? We found the treasure!" she exclaimed, her voice full of pure childlike glee.

"Sure, I'm real happy," Link said, turning away. May cocked her head and walked over to him, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"You don't sound happy," she commented. "What's up, don't you realize how huge this is?"

"You don't understand." Link shrugged his shoulder out of May's grasp and walked out of the chamber. May nodded.

"So you're worried about your brothers." She gathered up as much gold and jewels as she could carry and exited the stone room as well. Link nodded. May smiled. "Then, what are we waiting for? Let's grab as much as we can carry and get out of here so we can find them!" Link turned around.

"May...you've been looking forward to this. You can stay for a little. This is my battle with Yuriel and there's no way I'm letting you get involved," he stated. May raised an eyebrow.

"I don't remember telling you that it was OK for you to make my decisions," she said, dropping the gold and jewels and putting her hands on her hips. Link smiled.

"There's no keeping you out of this, is there?" he asked.

"You bet not. Now c'mon, help me take some of these jewels!" May ordered, brushing aside some gold in a search for rubies, diamonds or emeralds. What she found first was a leather sack. May lifted the sack out from beneath the gold and examined it. Link turned from his search for gems to gaze at the sack.

"Don't just stand there staring at it; put it to use," he suggested, turning back to the pile he was searching.

May nodded and began loading the sack with gold and precious stones. She kept piling things in the bag, thinking that at any second the bag would overflow. But, even after dumping things into the sack for twenty minutes, the sack didn't even appear to bulge the slightest bit.

"That's strange," she whispered. "It seems enchanted." Her whole pile had already been ridden of all its gems and most of its gold, so she moved to Link's. She began piling in jewel after jewel, some of which were quite large, but the bag still remained as seemingly empty as ever. She stuffed gold into the sack like crazy and eventually had to stop because she felt that by then, surely the bag would be too heavy to carry, but it remained as light as when she'd first picked it up. May blinked at it for a second before shrugging and rising to her feet. She turned to exit. "You coming?" she asked Link. He rose and jogged out of the cave.

"I'm in front of you," he pointed out, running faster. May giggled and chased after him.

"Wait for me!"

May and Link went to May's house first. "Mother, I'm home," May called. Her mother opened the door.

"What is HE doing with you?" she asked suspiciously. May rolled her eyes. Her mother raised an eyebrow. "Have you been sneaking a kiss with him?"

"Of course not, Mother!" May gasped, jumping back. "We were just getting the treasure from the Tunnel of Darkness." She turned towards the formerly pitch-black cave. "Looks like it's the Tunnel of Light now."

"You found the treasure?" May's mother asked. A huge smiled spread slowly across her face. "And he helped? So he WAS the one! I knew it!" She danced happily around the room, laughing and grinning. May rolled her eyes again and laid a hand on her mother's shoulder.

"Here, Mom, this sack carries all the treasure we managed to bring back," she explained. Her mother took the sack and frowned.

"It's entirely empty." She turned the sack upside down and looked inside.

Immediately, gold and precious stones began pouring out of the sack. May's mother shrieked and leaped away from the sack. Link laughed. May's mother picked the sack back up again and dumped out the rest of its contents. Her living room flooded with jewels. May's mother cried out in delight.

"Great Triforce!" she shouted. "We're the richest people in the village, maybe the world!" She beamed at May and Link. "You know what, all distrust of your friend here has vanished. Go ahead, do whatever you like. I'll be here at home, counting our gold." She squealed happily. "This is great!"

May grabbed Link's arm and dragged him to the edge of the village. "Shall we go?" she asked. Link nodded.

_Your mom is bipolar,_ he thought. May giggled.

"I know. OK, let's go find your brothers!"


	7. Toon Link's Revenge

Toon Link followed Sydney through the jungle, his mind on his brothers the whole time. _Where are they, and why have they disappeared like this? Yuriel must have done it...but is he powerful enough for that?_ He shook the thought from his head. _They have to be alright. They just have to._

"Hey, Green? Are there usually giant stone statues in jungles?" Red called back. Toon Link shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"What?" he called back. Red opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, Blue answered for him.

"Red was being stupid and asking you if there are stone statues in jungles." He looked up at the towering statue in front of him. It was beautifully crafted from grey and brown stone. Every detail was perfect, down to the points on the fire.

It was a statue of Yuriel, actual size, ten feet tall and a 6 foot diameter.

Toon Link gulped. If this was here, either Yuriel had been here or he'd brainwashed someone into doing it for him. Sydney whimpered and scooted behind Blue. Blue held out his sword cautiously. Red poked the statue. It burst open. He screamed and leaped back. Yuriel materialized in the place where the statue had once been.

"Rawr." Yuriel blinked at them.

The Toon Links gasped. Sydney screamed. Yuriel looked at her.

"Sorry; spider." She grinned. "Have I mentioned that I'm evil?"

Yuriel blinked at her again. "Stop trying to save yourself. I'm not here for you, anyway." He turned to Toon Link. "I'm here for him."

"I WILL NEVER JOIN YOU!" Toon Link shouted. Yuriel laughed.

"Are you kidding? I'm just here for a hot dog!"

Toon Link raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I want a hot dog. Do you have one?"

"No..."

"Oh. Then I guess I'll have to eat you instead."

Toon Link stepped back. "I'd rather you didn't."

"Too bad, Toon Link! I'm hungry. Since you don't have a hot dog-"

"How do you know my name?" Toon Link interrupted. Yuriel shrugged.

"Your brother told me," he said nonchalantly.

"My BROTHER?!" Toon Link was confused. _Which brother, and why would he tell Yuriel my name?_

"Yeah, Young Link," Yuriel said. "He's my buddy."

"Your WHAT?!" Toon Link cried, utterly baffled. "He joined you?!"

"Of course not!" Yuriel retorted. "I'm just helping him along."

"Can you help us too?" Red piped up. Yuriel turned to him.

"No." He blinked. "Well, I might, but first I have to eat Toon Link."

"I don't want you to eat Green!" Red whined. "He's my friend."

"I'm YOU, Red. And I'm not going to get eaten," Toon Link insisted.

"Yes you are," Yuriel said and lifted Toon Link off of the ground with one of his tentacles. He opened his mouth and brought Toon Link closer. Vio shot an arrow into his mouth. He screeched in pain and dropped Toon Link to pull the arrow out. Blue charged forwards, leaped into the air, and chopped off one of Yuriel's tentacles. Yuriel screeched again and fell to the ground. He lifted his head at Blue and glared at him, his eyes full of fiery malice. "You fools..." he whispered, before collapsing on the ground in a heap. Blue blinked. Vio poked Yuriel with his sword. He didn't move.

"WE WON!" Red shouted, linking arms with Vio and dancing in a circle. Sydney cheered and spun Blue around in a circle.

"You did it! You killed Yuriel!" she cried, laughing in delight. Vio broke away from Red and walked over to examine Yuriel.

"Something doesn't make sense," he said suspiciously. "Why did Yuriel drop Green to pull the arrow out of his mouth if he had five other tentacles to do that with?"

"Because he's stupid?" Blue suggested, tipping his head. Vio shook his head.

"No, no, that's not it. He was smart enough to separate us when he knew we'd be weaker. And why did he die when Blue cut off a tentacle?"

"Because I'm awesome?" Blue prompted.

"Be quiet, I'm thinking!" Vio snapped. "Look, last time we did that, all his tentacles just grew back. Why didn't that happen now? I'm telling you, something isn't right about this whole thing!"

"Who cares?" Blue asked him. "Let's PARTY!" Vio rolled his eyes and reluctantly turned away from Yuriel's body. Toon Link smiled, but he couldn't stop thinking about Yuriel.

_Maybe Vio was right, and he isn't dead,_ he thought. _And Young Link... "I'm just helping him along," he said. But why? Is there something Yuriel isn't telling us?_ With a sigh, Toon Link decided to just relax for now. Yuriel wasn't bothering them anymore, and everyone was safe. He turned to Sydney and began to speak with her. No one noticed the puff of smoke where Yuriel's body was, and the eerie cackle from out of nowhere, or that Yuriel was no longer around.


	8. The Reunion

Young Link raced towards the distant jungle. _If my brothers are anywhere, they're going to be here,_ he thought. Yuriel hadn't been there to point him in the right direction, but he had a feeling that the large shadowy snake would have teleported them somewhere dangerous like that. As if on cue, Yuriel poofed beside Young Link and began slithering next to him.

"Hola," he greeted Young Link. Young Link grinned.

"You're here!" He stopped running. "Hey, am I going in the right direction?"

Yuriel nodded. "Yep, that jungle is where your brother Toon Link is," he explained.

"Really?" Young Link asked, his spirits soaring as he thought of seeing his brother again.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I was just visiting him. By the way," Yuriel said suddenly. "I let him beat me up and played dead. He doesn't know I'm alive, so could you not tell him? I want to surprise him later."

"Is he your buddy too?" Young Link asked. Yuriel nodded again.

"Yes, yes he is." He smiled. "So, you'll keep it a secret, right, my friend?"

"Yep, definitely!" Young Link exclaimed. Yuriel grinned wider.

"Thank you," he said. Young Link started running again, in a race to reach his brothers. Very soon he did reach the jungle, Yuriel racing along beside him and giving him directions as to where to reach Toon Link. They soon came to a clearing in the middle of the jungle. Toon Link had clearly been there.

"So...where to now?" Young Link asked anxiously.

"This is where I leave you, my friend. Continue straight, and when you reach the dead tree, turn left. After that keep moving forwards and you'll soon reach your brother," Yuriel answered. Young Link nodded gratefully and set out on the path that Yuriel had indicated. In a matter of minutes, he reached the dead tree. He followed Yuriel's directions and turned left, and he just kept on going, until finally, he heard voices in the distance:

"I just hope that my brothers are OK. I really miss them," came Toon Link's voice.

"I know, I know. It must be so hard, not knowing where your family is. You must miss them like crazy." This voice was female, someone that Young Link didn't recognize.

"I do." Toon Link sniffed.

"Who cares? Let's just dance! You up for it, Syds?" _That's Blue's voice,_ Young Link thought. _They're all here!_

"My name is Sydney!" the girl voice snapped.

"So what, I gave you a nickname!" Blue said, laughing. "You're pretty cute when you're mad."

"Shut up," Sydney snapped back. Unable to hold back, driven by excitement, Young Link pushed past the vibrant jungle foliage and burst into the place where Toon Link and the others were standing. He grinned when he saw that they really were all there.

"Toon Link!" he cried, dashing over to give his brother a hug.

"Young Link! You're alive!" Toon Link cried back, his face lighting up with happiness.

"Group hug! C'mon, Blue!" Red shouted, darting out to join the others. Young Link laughed.

"I'm so glad that-" he began, breaking off when he realized that he'd been about to tell the others about Yuriel's return. "Um...that I found you! I thought Yuriel had killed you by now."

"We showed him, yes we did!" Blue declared triumphantly. "He's dead now."

"You're Green's brother?" Sydney asked. Young Link nodded. Sydney's bright blue eyes lit up even brighter. "It is so nice to finally meet you." She held out a hand and smiled.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Young Link. And you're Sydney, right?" Young Link verified. Sydney nodded.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" she asked.

"I was eavesdropping," Young Link admitted. Red beamed.

"Whatever, let's just party some more!" he exclaimed, dancing in a circle. Blue pulled Sydney out onto the makeshift dance floor, with the silver moon acting as a disco ball. Young Link smiled; then a dark thought hit him.

"Where's Link?"


	9. The Shadow Snake's Rage

May slipped in the thick mud and fell over. Link laughed.

"That's the sixth time in this past minute," he commented. May faked a smile and stood.

"Yeah, I broke my record. Look; do you want a guide to help you find your brothers or not? I'm telling you, there's a cave up ahead, and beyond that a jungle. Your brothers are bound to be there, and I'm the only one who knows where it is. So, if you want any hope of finding Toon Link and Young Link, I suggest you shut your yap and just start walking," she demanded. Link chuckled.

"That's the second time you've said that and I'm in front of you." May brushed herself off and hurried after him. "Don't go too fast or you'll fall over for the seventh time," Link warned May. She skidded to a stop beside him.

"Don't get too far ahead. You don't know where you're going," she reminded him briskly, taking a few extra steps to get ahead. That all too familiar puff of smoke was soon beside them, and Yuriel appeared, bringing a thunderstorm with him. Rain fell down all around them.

"Yuriel, what does he want?" Link muttered to May, gripping his sword tighter. May scowled.

"Great, now I'm just going to fall over more! Thanks a lot!" she said to Yuriel angrily. Yuriel chuckled.

"It's time for me to finish what I started," he hissed menacingly. Then one of his tentacles darted out to grab May.

"May!" Link shouted, rushing forwards with his sword extended towards the terrifying snake-creature in front of him. Yuriel laughed.

"You never learn!" One of his other tentacles reached out and bit May on the arm. May screamed in pain. Link froze, a frightened and concerned look stuck on his face as he gazed at his friend in Yuriel's clutches.

"Let her go!" he demanded, fury beginning to creep into his gaze.

"As if!" Yuriel shouted back, laughing and biting May again May let out another cry of pain. Link turned around frantically, looking for something to be used as a good long distance weapon. Yuriel just cackled evilly again and bit May. And again, and again.

Finally, enraged by the fact that Yuriel still hadn't let May go, Link found a sheet of twilight and threw himself into it, emerging as a wolf. Link growled and flung himself at Yuriel. Yuriel latched a tentacle onto his leg, biting him and sending some of his evil dark magic into his body. Link yelped in pain and almost stopped to bite off Yuriel's tentacle, but he knew that if he didn't save May soon, it'd be too late. So he pressed on and stretched his neck to bite off the four tentacles holding his friend.

May slumped to the ground and Link bit off the tentacle holding him. Quickly, he scooped May onto his back and ran off. Yuriel cried out angrily after them as they hurried away. Link soon found the cave May had described and settled down in it for the night. A particularly bright flash of lightning turned him back into a human again. May slowly cracked her eyes open and blinked a few times, adjusting to the gloom of the dark cave. Link smiled.

"Are you OK, May?" he asked her quietly.

"Link?" May whispered. "Is that you? You're alive?" Link nodded.

"Barely," he whispered back. May let out a tiny gasp.

"You...you risked your life to save me," she whispered, awe filling her voice. She leaned on Link's shoulder and smiled. "Thank you so much."

"It was the least I could do after you offered to help me find my brothers," Link said softly in her ear. May sighed contentedly and snuggled deeper into Link's shoulder.

"I love you, Link," she whispered, before drifting off to sleep.


	10. More Good Deeds

Toon Link shrugged. "I dunno," he said casually.

"Well, then we've got to find him!" Young Link gasped. "Why haven't you started looking?"

"Because we had to make it out of this jungle first," Toon Link retorted. "Look, it's late, let's just go to sleep."

"I won't rest until I find my brother," Young Link snapped back. Toon Link felt anger bubble up inside him, anger at himself for not having searched long enough.

"Look, I don't want to just give up, that's not what I'm saying. What I am saying is that Link is a big boy. He can take care of himself just fine while we go to sleep," he said angrily.

"Yeah, I guess you're kind of right. But what if Yuriel isn't his buddy like he is mine and yours? What if he's still going all out and trying to get Link to join him? What if he kills him while he sleeps because Link hasn't joined him yet and he's getting impatient? Huh, what will we do then?" Young Link shouted at him. His eyes instantly widened when he realized he'd said too much.

"OK, first of all, if Yuriel is your buddy, then you must have joined him, right?" Toon Link asked him.

"No, I haven't-" Young Link began.

"Second of all," Toon Link interrupted, "Yuriel isn't our buddy. And third of all, Yuriel is DEAD. He can't kill Link if he's DEAD."

"He is not dead!" Young Link cried, his fierce anger driving him to speak even though Yuriel had ordered his mouth shut. "I just talked to him on the way here. He's alive and he told me not to say anything, because he was going to surprise you sometime, since you are his buddy, at least that's what he said!" Toon Link's mouth dropped open.

"He's WHAT?!" he yelled, fury taking over his body and making him wildly angry. "How could I have been so stupid? Argh, I should have known! He'll kill Link for SURE! He's DOOMED!" He dropped his face in his hands and spun around to face Blue. "This is your fault!" he screamed.

"MY fault?!" Blue shouted back, equally mad. "How is this my fault?!"

"You were the one who insisted that Yuriel was dead!" Toon Link yelled, his eyes narrowed. "If I had listened to Vio, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess! He's obviously the only one who has any sense around here!"

"Stop it, you guys!" Red whined. "I've told you before, I hate seeing me fighting with me!"

"Stay out of this!" both Toon Links snapped at the same time. Red frowned.

"I'm just trying to help," he whimpered.

"Well, you're not helping!" Blue shouted.

"You don't have to yell!" Red yelled.

"I'm not yelling, I'm shouting! You're the one that's yelling!" Blue snapped back. Sydney backed up. They yelled and screamed and yelled some more, Blue at Red and Toon Link at Young Link. Vio frowned.

"Come on, guys, let's calm down. Fighting isn't going to help Link," he said calmly.

"SHUT UP, VIO!" yelled Blue, Toon Link and Young Link at the same time. Vio's eyes narrowed and his mouth dropped open. He turned to Sydney and gestured back at the other Links.

"Did you hear that?" he whispered. Sydney shook her head and shrugged. Finally, a puff of smoke stopped the arguing.

"Hi," Yuriel said simply. "You don't have to stop arguing just because I'm here. It was fun to watch."

Toon Link glared angrily up at the towering shadow serpent. "Where's Link?"

"Your brother?" Yuriel confirmed.

Toon Link nodded.

"He's alive, I'll tell you that much," Yuriel said, turning his head away and baring his teeth. "The cursed little thing saved his girlfriend and got away from my clutches."

"His girlfriend?" Toon Link asked. Yuriel nodded.

"I assume so; they seem pretty close," he said.

"He found Zelda?" Toon Link asked happily.

"Heck no, I was talking about the pretty black haired girl with the emerald-green eyes! May, I think it was," Yuriel replied.

"Say what, who's 'May'?" Blue wondered aloud. Yuriel shrugged.

"You know, that girl he was traveling with. I could lead you to them to show you if you don't know," he offered. Toon Link looked at Vio and then at Yuriel.

"Is this a joke?" he asked. Yuriel shook his head.

"Come on, they're this way," he said, leading the Toon Links, Young Link and Sydney towards the cave that Young Link had just left. "Follow me."

Shrugging, Toon Link followed, his anger disappearing with Yuriel's last words. Confident that Yuriel would lead them the right way, Young Link did too. Red grabbed Vio and dragged him after them, and Blue and Sydney followed last. Blue leaned over to his feminine friend and whispered, "Yuriel is really stupid." Sydney nodded slowly.

"I don't get it," she whispered back. Blue shrugged.

"Whatever, as long as he's helping us."


	11. Feelings and Memories

Link woke up with May still leaning on his shoulder. He smiled.

"Good morning," he whispered. May bolted upright.

"Did I just sleep in a cave?" she asked. Link nodded. "Darn it! Now my dress is all dirty!"

"Your dress was dirty when you fell in the mud the first time," Link pointed out. May pretended to rub a fake beard.

"Very true, my good man," she said, imitating a man with a deep voice and a British accent. Link chuckled.

"Let's get going," he suggested. May nodded.

"Alright, sounds good," she said, standing. Then she started jogging towards the entrance to the cave.

"May, it's this way," Link called, heading towards the exit. May turned around sheepishly and jogged to catch up with him.

"Sorry. I guess I'm still a little groggy; I'm also still in pain from Yuriel's bites last night," she admitted. Link put his arm around her.

"I know; here, lean on me, and we'll keep going," he whispered. May leaned against him gratefully. They continued on. The cave got darker and darker as they walked downwards. Growls sounded from every corner. May clutched Link's arm and whimpered. Link laughed. "You'll be OK, I'll protect you," he whispered.

"I know...I'm just really scared of dark places," May whispered back. "That's why I didn't go in the Tunnel of Darkness until I was confident that you'd be there to help me out." She paused. "That's also why I begged my father not to go."

Link froze. "Your father?"

May nodded. "A few years ago, my father decided that we needed that treasure at the end of the Tunnel. We were really poor and my little brother Michael wasn't doing so well. We didn't have enough money to care for him and take care of his illness." She sniffled and wiped tears from her eyes. After she'd composed herself, she continued, but Link noticed that there was much sadness in her eyes and tears choked her voice.

"A couple days after that, a stranger came to our house to speak with us about the treasure. My mom let him in, because she used to be very hospitable and would let anyone in our house. My father told the man that he had been planning to go to into the Tunnel to get the treasure, and the stranger offered to go with him for 'safety' reasons. Eagerly, my dad accepted and he started packing. I begged him not to go, but he just kissed my cheek and told me not to worry, that he'd be fine. The stranger was a very tough guy and a strong-looking man, and my parents trusted him to take care of my dad. They left in the morning and never came back."

At this point, May broke down and began to sob. "I just know that the stranger killed him once they'd reached the end. My dad had been studying that place his whole life and knew how to get to the end, even in the total darkness, and he was really good with a sword. The stranger must have known that and killed my dad when they reached the treasure. The worst part-" May broke off and sobbed a bit more. "The worst part is that a few days after that Michael died because we hadn't been able to afford treatment for him. My mom changed my name to Mayoretta at that point, which changed the meaning of my name from 'illusion' to 'illusion, or ruler of the home', because it was now apparent that I'd have to be strong and take care of the house and my grief-stricken mother. It's not like I wasn't, though." She sobbed some more. Link pulled her close and kept walking. The growls seemed to turn to half purrs, half whines.

"I lost both my parents a while ago, and I haven't seen my little sister Aryll in a really long time," Link whispered in May's ear. "Believe me, I know how you feel." He kissed her forehead. May retaliated by throwing her arms around his neck and sobbing more. They walked farther towards the end of the cave with no interruptions. When they reached the end, though, they were separated from the rest of the cave by a huge ditch. May rolled her eyes.

"This is just what we needed," she whispered. Link chuckled.

"Yeah, I know it." Almost instinctually, he scooped May up in his arms and took a running leap towards the other side of the ditch.

"What did you do?!" May shrieked. "We're gonna DIE!"

"I got this!" Link yelled. He kept pushing himself closer to the edge. _I see a ledge near the top of the other cliff. If I just keep pushing myself, we might be able to make it. But if we don't..._His thought ended abruptly. Narrowing his eyes in determination, Link flung May, screaming, at the ledge.

She made it.

He didn't.

"Link!" May screeched. Link fell past her. She tried to reach out and grab him, but he was too far away. "No!" Tears spilled from her emerald eyes as she tried to regain her composure enough to start the climb to the top. She'd sat there for ten minutes crying, wondering when she'd ever see her friend again when she spotted a familiar green hat rise into the light. She peeked over the edge. "Link?" she half-whispered into the gloom.

_Hello again, my pretty female friend,_ was the thought reply. May leaped to her feet.

"It IS you!" she laughed. "I'm so happy!" Link pulled himself on to the ledge and collapsed, breathing heavily.

"Hi," he said simply, smiling. May hugged him close.

"I thought I'd lost you," she whispered.

"Do you really think I'd give up on you like that?" Link asked. May beamed.

"I guess not," she said. "I thought I'd never see you again. I was so scared; I don't know what I'd do without you." Link smiled.

"I'm fine, really. Let's just climb to the top and keep going," he suggested. May nodded.

"OK, come on!" she exclaimed, heaving herself up the side of the cliff and running towards the exit. Link followed. They were soon led to a dark series of tunnels. There was a light straight ahead and many twists and turns. May grinned.

"Let's go straight! We found the light!" she said happily, starting to run. Link grabbed her arm.

"Wait for a second," he insisted. "I see footprints and slither marks going this way. Let's follow them; it might be Yuriel and one of my brothers." May sighed.

"Fine, but I still think we should go straight," she said, following. She lit a small candle for light that she had in her back pocket. They kept following the snake marks and footprints until they reached the end of the cave.

"I knew we should have gone this way!" Link declared triumphantly. "Let's go!"

"Wait, not yet," May said, stopping him. "I need to talk to you." Link stopped and turned to her.

"Yeah, what's up?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Link..." May began, trailing off. "Look, after you find your brothers, you'll be battling Yuriel and then rescuing Zelda, right?" Link nodded.

"Uh-huh. So?" he asked nonchalantly.

"So, I've never met anyone like you before, Link. My mom keeps trying to set me up with these guys for marriage or something, but I don't want them. You're not like them. You care about me more then yourself. You're sweet, and kind, and handsome..." She trailed off again and looked away.

"May?" Link whispered. "Where are you going with this?"

May turned back around. "I love you, Link. A lot, and when you find Zelda...you love her, don't you? That's why you're working so hard to find her. How do you think I'm going to feel when you're reunited with her?" she asked, anger beginning to flare up inside her.

"May, I'm sorry you feel that way. But yeah, I do love Zelda, and it might be hard for you, but...May, do you want to turn around and go back to your village?" Link asked. May tried to smile despite the fact that all she really wanted to do was cry.

"I'm not leaving you when we've come this far," she insisted. Link hugged her.

"Then let's go find Yuriel." He started to head out again.

"Wait one second," May called after him. He paused and turned around.

"Yeah?" he asked.

May gave a tiny smile, took a step closer, and kissed him.


	12. The Brothers United

Young Link followed Yuriel through the jungle, hurrying alongside him to reach Link. They were only a few miles from the cave. Toon Link was running next to him, trying to keep up with his bigger brother. Vio, Blue and Red were lagging behind. It didn't take long for them to reach the cave. Red was the first one to spot Link and May.

"There they are!" he shouted happily, pointing. Young Link followed his finger and spotted the two. Based on what Yuriel had said, he knew that the black haired girl that was holding Link's hands was May.

"Hey, Link!" he shouted. May turned and waved. She reluctantly pulled away from Link and ran over.

"You must be Young Link and Toon Link," she said. "My name is Mayoretta, but you can call me May." She grabbed Vio's hand and started shaking it eagerly. "And you must be Vio, and you're Blue, and you're Red. It is so nice to meet you!" At that time she finally noticed Yuriel. He waved a tentacle, staring at her with a bored expression on his face.

"Yo, May, how're you?" he asked, still sounding bored. May leaped back and screamed.

"D-don't touch me, you monster..." she ordered, her voice shaking. Link ran over and leaped in front of her.

"Stay away from her, you fiend, or I swear I'll-" he began through clenched teeth.

"Relax; I'm just dropping off your brothers." He turned and slithered away. "Merry reunion." Link turned slowly, his sword outstretched, and spotted Young Link and the others. Yong Link grinned.

_We're finally together!_ he thought. _Huzzah!_ Red ran over and tackled Link.

"Big brotheeerrr!" he sang. "You're alive! And you have a pretty girlfriend!"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Link responded quickly, leaping up and blushing slightly. "And, er...it's nice to see you, too." Vio patted his shoulder.

"Um...hi. I'm glad you're OK," he said nonchalantly. Link patted his head.

"Uh...yeah. You too." He turned away awkwardly. May stepped closer and whispered something in his ear. Link turned his back on her.

_What's going on?_ Young Link thought. _Link's acting weird._

"Did Yuriel attack you?" Sydney asked. Link nodded.

"Yeah, a lot, but we survived," he replied.

"Thanks to you," May added. Link took a step away from her. "Link..." She put a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off. Young Link raised an eyebrow.

"So...Yuriel isn't your buddy, like he is mine and Toon Link's?" he asked. Link whirled towards him, rage shining in his gaze.

"You joined Yuriel?! Both of you?!" he asked angrily.

"N-no!" Young Link insisted. "W-we didn't join him...he's just been helping us out for some reason..." He'd never seen his brother so worked up. Was it May? What was going on between the two?

Toon Link was gaping at Link, not saying a word. Finally, he cried out, "You're SPEAKING!" and leaped on top of Link. Link chuckled.

"Yeah, I found my voice at May's village," he explained. May smiled.

"I never thought it was possible..." Toon Link admitted, trailing off and standing. "You've been able to escape Yuriel when he attacked you though, right?"

"Of course not!" Link said, crawling to his feet. He winced in pain for a second and leaned on May. Pity shone in May's eyes. "He's ruthless, clever, devious...there's no escaping him."

Young Link laughed. "Ruthless?! Devious?!" He laughed again. "What are you talking about?! He's been nothing but nice to me!"

"Yeah, and he's stupid too!" Blue added. "All I had to do was play dead to escape him and he couldn't even tell the difference!"

"Then he was going easy on you," Link insisted. "I'm telling you, he was not a good guy, nor was he stupid!"

"Look, whatever, let's just go find the guy and rescue Zelda, OK?" Blue suggested. May stiffened. Link winced. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, it's fine, you're right." Link turned away and started walking towards the jungle. May followed. Young Link tried to smile, but one thought bugged him.

_What if Link was right? What if Yuriel is tricking us? _He shook his head. _Nah, Yuriel is my friend. He would never do that._

_ Still...what is he planning?_


	13. The Final Battle

The Links were determined to find Yuriel and defeat him once and for all, so that they could finally rescue the Zeldas. Since he was the only one who watched Yuriel slither away, and since he was so familiar with Yuriel's tracks, Young Link led the way, and the others followed close at his heels. Every time they stopped for the night, the Links took up sparring with each other and frequently trained May to use a bow. They also included Sydney's sorcery skills in their little brawls. When they felt that they had trained enough, they drifted off into 5-6 hour periods of sleep to awaken at dawn.

"Let's keep going now, guys," Link yawned on their sixth morning of travel. "We don't want to get on the road too late."

"It's only four in the morning," May muttered crossly, rolling over in her makeshift bed of moss. "Let me sleep; it's not late at all."

"It is if we want to find Yuriel," Young Link pointed out.

"He's right," Sydney agreed. "We should get going."

May groaned, but she stood up anyway and got ready to go.

"I see him!" Young Link whispered suddenly.

"See who, Yuriel?" Red asked. "He's scary."

May ran up to take a look. Sure enough, the enormous Shadow Serpent was sitting there, just past the jungle, in front of a towering purple castle. He didn't blink. He simply sat there, not moving. May took a step towards him. "Let's go," she suggested.

"Are you suggesting that we just walk up there and challenge him?" Link said. "No way; we need a plan."

"That is our plan," Sydney reminded him. "And quite frankly, I'm starting to think it's a good one."

Link sighed, but he followed Young Link and Toon Link over to the huge snake creature and tapped him. Yuriel didn't move. "This is really weird," Link commented.

"It's a statue!" Vio exclaimed. "That's why he's not moving!"

"Then let's just go inside and battle the real guy already," May said testily. "I'm going in first."

"No way," Link said, cutting in front of her. "You might get hurt, so let us go first."

"What ever happened to 'ladies first'?" Sydney cut in. "We can take care of ourselves."

"Guys, stop right here before this escalates into a huge argument," Vio suggested. "We can't afford to fight anymore."

"Vio is right," Red agreed. Link sighed.

"I'll lead the way," he said, heading inside.

"I'll lead with you!" May hurried to catch up. Link held his arm out and pushed her back.

"That's not a good idea," he said.

"Why are you so mad at her?" Toon Link asked. "You keep acting weird around her."

"Because." Link kept going. "That's why. It's none of your business."

"But it's mine," May said. "Why are you mad? Because of the kiss?"

Link winced and stopped walking.

"You two _kissed_?" Young Link verified. "But Link, what about Zelda?"

"_That's_ why I'm mad. Because she knew about Zelda and wouldn't respect my love for her," Link said. He started walking again.

"You know about me and won't respect my love for you!" May snapped. "That gives me a reason to be mad, but I'm not."

"May, I'm sorry, but we can't be together," Link said, his voice starting to escalate. He turned to face May, walking backwards so that he could speak with her but still keep going.

"Here it comes," Sydney whispered to Blue, who was walking next to her in the back.

"Why not? Just because of Zelda? If I can forget about you, can't you forget about her?"

"It doesn't work that way, okay?" Link said, his voice rising even more.

"Guys, stop it now!" Vio cut in. "I'm serious! We can't be fighting when we free the Zeldas. It's too risky."

"We'll talk about this later," Link muttered, placing a hand on May's arm. May recoiled at his touch and fell back with the others. She sniffed, and salty tears fell gently from her eyes.

"Whatever," she murmured, pretending not to care, no matter how much she did.

They traveled on until they reached the top of the tower, battling tougher and tougher guardian monsters every time they went up another floor. Eventually though, they were at the top in some weird dungeon-like room. There were three holding cells that looked like red lasers holding their prisoners in place. Each cell held one Zelda.

"Do you like my collection?" Yuriel asked, appearing in his usual puff of smoke.

"Yuriel, let them go!" Link snapped.

"Oh, yeah, sure, no prob." He slithered towards a huge red button. "As long as you promise to defeat me in a battle sometime." His tentacle moved slowly towards the button.

Link blinked. "Just like that?" he whispered, awed. _Why isn't Yuriel fighting us?_


	14. A Friend's Protection

"We can do that!" Red piped up.

"I know," Yuriel said. "Hey, how about right now? As soon as I free your girlfriends, that is." He pulled on the lever and instantly, the Zeldas were released. Young Link leaned over to Link.

"I told you he was nice," he whispered.

"I told you he was stupid," Blue whispered.

Toon Zelda was the first one to open her eyes. She gazed around, blue eyes searching for Toon Link. When she found him, her eyes brightened even more and she leapt to her feet.

"Link!" she cried. "And Young Link, and...Toon Link!" She ran over and wrapped him in a huge hug, plastering his arms to his sides.

"I...can't breathe..." Toon Link gasped. Toon Zelda released him and giggled.

"You saved me. I knew you would," she said quickly. Young Zelda opened her eyes next.

"Hello?" she whispered, sounding almost half asleep. "Young Link?"

Young Link ran to her side and held her up. She rubbed her eyes, yawned and stretched. "I'm right here," Young Link said.

"I know," Young Zelda whispered again. "I'm...tired." Young Link helped her stand and the two of them walked over to the others.

Link walked slowly over to Zelda. He knelt beside her and lifted her head off the ground. She winced and opened her eyes slowly. "Zelda, are you awake?' Link said softly.

"L...Link?" Zelda clarified. Link nodded. "It's really you?"

"Yeah, it's me." Link smiled and pulled Zelda closer. "I'm so glad you're okay," he murmured. May cringed.

"You saved my life, as usual." Zelda giggled. "I missed you."

"Not as much as I missed you," Link said. The two of them stood up and returned to the others. May smiled.

"Hi, I'm...May," she said, trying to sound happy. Zelda grinned.

"You helped them get here," Zelda told her. "I know."

"That's pretty good," May giggled. "Can you read minds too?"

"I can read expressions," Zelda said, laughing. "Your face tells me everything."

May gulped. "Everything?"

Zelda nodded. "Everything."

"So you know, then," Link sighed. Zelda nodded again.

"Yes, and it's okay." She turned to May. "I understand how hard it is to resist with him," she added, winking. May giggled.

"Yeah," she said. _Zelda's really funny and nice,_ she thought. _I see why Link likes her._

"Yo, can I have that battle I was promised now?" Yuriel called.

Link drew his sword. Blue smirked. "Bring it on!" he called back.

"OK, whatever you like." Yuriel slithered towards them. "Who wants to strike first? How about you, Young Link? Since you're my buddy and all."

"OK!" Young Link said, taking out his boomerang.

"Be careful," Young Zelda warned. Young Link threw his boomerang and it plinked against Yuriel's stomach.

"Good shot," Yuriel praised. He tossed the boomerang back at Young Link. "Try again, and this time aim for my head. If the shot is good, you could win!"

"Y-You mean kill you?!" Young Link gasped. "No way! You're my friend!"

"If he won't strike, then I will!" Blue cried. He leapt at Yuriel, and, using Yuriel's tentacles as stepping stones, climbed up his body and sliced at his neck. Yuriel screeched.

"Good…hit," he hissed.

"What an idiot," Blue said, laughing. "I'll finish this with one more attack!" He charged at Yuriel, who was now on the ground, and was about to jab his sword into Yuriel's brain when Young Link leapt in front of him and spread out his arms, eyes wide with terror.

"Stop!" Young Link demanded. "I won't let you hurt my friend."

"He kidnapped the Zeldas, Young Link," Vio pointed out. "He's a threat."

"Sure, he kidnapped them, but he's changed. Otherwise, he wouldn't have united us. And besides, he set them free," Young Link insisted

"He was tricking you, Young Link," Link said.

"I'm telling you, Yuriel is not a bad guy anymore," Young Link whined. "You can't hurt him!" Yuriel smiled behind him.

"Thanks for…protecting me, Buddy," he hissed again. "But maybe…you should just let them win."

Young Link turned around. "I…" He trailed off. "They'll hurt you."

"I deserve to be hurt," Yuriel said. "Sorry for kidnapping your girlfriends, by the way."

Young Link shook his head vigorously. "You said you were sorry. You don't deserve to die."

"Just move on over, Young Link," Yuriel gasped. Blood poured from the wound on his neck and he seemed to be getting weaker by the second. "Let them finish the job."

"No," Young Link said. A single tear plinked to the ground. "You're my friend. Without you, I never would have made it out of that cave. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Yuriel sighed. "But seriously, move."

Blue was still frozen in place, gripping his sword and preparing to attack. Sydney walked over and laid a hand on his shoulder. Then she walked past him and over to Yuriel, careful not to ruin her hot-pink dress by stepping in his blood.

"Sydney, be careful!" Blue ordered, a hint of worry managing to slip past his gruff exterior to find its way into his words. "I don't want him to hurt you."

Sydney turned around. "He won't hurt anyone," she whispered, smiling. "I believe Young Link. I'm going to heal his neck." Her wand materialized in her hands and she placed the sun on Yuriel's deep wound. Young Link stepped back, crying softly. The sun glowed and spread little sparkles of light on Yuriel's throat, closing the wound back up.

Yuriel stood again, using his tentacles for balance. "Thanks, Sydney." Then he looked over at Young Link. "You too, Friend." Young Link grinned. He squeezed Sydney tight.

"Thank you for saving my friend!" he cheered. Sydney giggled.

"You're welcome."

Blue half-growled. "Thanks a lot; we could have killed the guy!"

"He didn't deserve to die," Sydney said calmly.

"He might have killed you," Blue said, softer. He walked up behind Sydney.

Sydney turned to face him. "But he didn't. He's friendly," she added, equally soft.

"I could have lost you," Blue said quietly. He looked down, embarrassed. Sydney smiled and stepped closer.

"You didn't, though. I'm still here," she whispered.

"Aw. Such a cute moment," Yuriel said. "Okay, well, one of needs to win this battle, ya know, so how about Young Link and you Toon Links go find some cloth to wipe up this blood, and Link can stay here and battle me?"

"Sounds good, Yuriel!" Red said, skipping away happily. "As long as you don't kill my brother." Young Link followed. Vio warily turned away from Yuriel, knowing that he was clever, and went with the others cautiously. Toon Link whispered a last word of warning to Link and ran off with the others. Sydney and Blue walked away like Yuriel had directed, holding hands.


	15. The End of their ropes

"What do you want?" Link asked crossly.

"Well, to tell the truth, I want a pizza." Yuriel blinked. "You know, a big pizza. The toppings could be…your internal organs, or something. And for a drink I'll have your blood." He shrugged. "But, you know, you'll have to die first."

"Yeah, as if!" Link scoffed. "I'd rather you died first."

Yuriel appeared to be thinking about it. "Nah, I don't wanna, but feel free to jump out of this building and die if you don't want to die by me."

Link gripped his sword and ran at Yuriel.

"Be careful!" May and Zelda shouted at the same time.

Yuriel lifted Link off the ground and dropped him again from about 80 feet up in the air. Link screamed.

"Oh, no you don't!" May pulled out her bow and grabbed an arrow. Before receiving training from the Links, she'd trained with her mother and as a result was quite handy with a bow. She placed the arrow on the bow and pulled the string back. She needed to calculate correctly, because if she was wrong by one inch she could end up killing Link instead of helping him. When she felt sure that she was right, she released the arrow. It sailed through the air. May noticed that she'd been off by just a few inches.

"Link!" Zelda called. "Duck your head!" Link nodded and tucked his head down. The arrow jabbed into the back of Link's shirt and attached him to the wall. Quickly, Link scrabbled for a hold on the brick interior behind him and held himself up.

"Slip free of the arrow!" May called. Link nodded.

"Nah, I don't really want you to." Yuriel blinked. "How about I tie a rope to your neck and strangle you?" He slithered over to Link, who was desperately trying to free himself from the arrow's clutches in time to climb down. He was too late, and Yuriel reached him first. Link, without thinking, pulled his left hand off the wall and pulled out his sword, jabbing it straight into the vital organ closest to him—Yuriel's heart. Yuriel shrieked and fell back. Link sheathed his sword and yanked the arrow out. He threw it through the air at Yuriel's head. The snake was hit and he stumbled, wobbling towards Link again.

Link let out a battle cry and leapt for Yuriel. He caught hold of the arrow still lodged in Yuriel's head and pulled himself up until he was on Yuriel's nose. There he quickly inched around to Yuriel's back (being careful not to come into contact with the dark-fire on Yuriel's head) and slid down to the ground.

"Yuriel!" Sydney sang. "We brought cloth!" Those who had left now returned—and stopped short. The fiercest battle any of them had seen in a long time was taking place right before their eyes.

Yuriel had grown angry after Link's strike at his head. He decided it was finally time to use his full power and had begun absorbing every ounce of darkness in the room until the light was almost blinding. Then he had unleashed the darkness back into the room in the form of little shadow-demons, whom Link was now fighting.

To help, May shot arrows and Zelda occasionally used her abilities to add some of the light from the room to May's shots. The other's mouths dropped open. The shadow-demons scratched and sliced with their claws. Link spun around and slashed three at once. They screeched and vanished.

"Link?" Sydney began uneasily. "Um...having fun there?"

"Not now, Sydney! You want it to stop, come help." Link gritted his teeth and slashed at two more shadow-demons. Now only one was left, the biggest of them all. It hissed menacingly and sliced at Link with its claws. Link twisted out of the way, managing to save his head from being chopped off but getting hit in the arm instead. Sydney raised her wand, preparing to attack the monster, but before she could, one of the returned heroes darted out at it, raising his sword.

Link fell to the ground, gripping his left arm in agony. _No way I'll be able to fight now, _he thought hopelessly. The shadow-demon raised its claws to attack again and finish the job, but before it could, someone slashed from behind and it faded away. The dimness returned to the room and while everyone's eyes adjusted, the Link who'd attacked spoke up.

"You're welcome."

Link turned to where he assumed his rescuer stood. "Thanks...uh..."

"It's me," the figure muttered through clenched teeth.

Link blinked. "Young Link?"

"I trusted you!" Young Link suddenly snapped, not bothering to acknowledge Link's discovery. "You promised me that you wouldn't attack my brother."

"I promised nothing," Yuriel commented, shrugging. "Except that I wouldn't kill you."

"This whole time, you've just been tricking us, haven't you?" Young Link gasped. "You've just been slowly turning me to your side, and slowly convincing the Toon Links plus Sydney that you were stupid, and going all out on Link here, so that the Toon Links, Sydney and I let our guard down! It's all part of your plan!"

"True," Yuriel said, shrugging. "But now that you've figured it out, I have one more back-up plan to make sure you don't meddle again."

Link stood and backed up towards Zelda and May. "I've got a bad feeling about this," he whispered. "Be ready to run."

"Run? After everything he's done to you guys?" May snapped. "I'm getting revenge." Quickly, she zoomed closer to Yuriel, who was slowly absorbing darkness again, and drew her bow.

"May, get back!" Link shrieked. "Everyone, let's get out of here!"

"Smart boy," Yuriel hissed. May released her arrow, and at the same time, Yuriel disappeared. But instead of his usual puff of gray smoke, this smoke was more like fog and was black in color, with spots of purple and green. The Links, the Zeldas, and Sydney all retreated out of the room, but May, already exposed, coughed violently and fell to the floor, clutching and anything she could find to hold herself up, her face scrunched up in agony.


	16. Fighting It

"May!" Link cried, starting into the room, but Zelda held him back sadly.

"It's too late," she whispered painfully.

Finally, the fog cleared, and when it did, those who had fled ran back in, Link in front, and gathered around May. May was lying on the ground, still clutching at things like a madwoman, her bright emerald green eyes glazed like she had become blind. Link fell to the ground beside her and shook her gently.

"May?" he said quietly. May shifted on the ground and turned to look at him.

"Link, is that you?" she asked softly, coughing again. Link nodded.

"I told you to run," he scolded, his voice filled with emotion. May smiled weakly.

"I know," she whispered, so quietly that Link barely heard her. "I was just..." She trailed off.

"Just what?" Link prompted.

"Just trying...to protect...the one I love," May finished, her voice shaking. Link lifter her head off the ground and pulled her close.

"Please don't die on me," he pleaded.

"It's a bit too late for that," May sighed. "I love you, Link."

"May..." Link trailed off. "Fight it. Stay alive!"

"There's no use in fighting," May breathed. "I'm done for, and I know it."

Link sniffed. "I'll never forget you, May," he whispered, hugging her even closer.

"And I'll never forget you," May said softly. She coughed and took a deep breath.

Slowly, Link leaned over and kissed her. May blinked.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"Just to make sure you never forget me," Link teased. May smiled again.

"Goodbye, Link, Zelda, and you others," she said as loudly as she could. She gave one last heaving sigh, and then breathed no more. Link placed her back on the ground gently.

"She's gone," he whispered, his voice full of pain. Zelda placed a hand on his shoulder.

"She will be missed," she whispered back. Link lowered his head, eyes closed.

"I'll never forgive him," Link muttered.

Zelda nodded. "None of us will."

"That's so harsh!" Yuriel whined, appearing back in the room. "'Never' is such a strong word."

Link leapt to his feet and spun to face him. "You monster!" he hissed. "No more Mister Nice Guy. It's time to take you down!"

"You say that like I can actually die," Yuriel scoffed. "I cannot die! I feed off of darkness and off of light! You attack me and my dark fire magic simply covers the wound right back up."

"Then what if we trapped you in some other dimension?" Vio speculated. "You couldn't escape."

"I can if there is darkness," Yuriel boasted.

"Then what if-"

"Don't you see?" Yuriel interrupted. "Trap me in light and it feeds my flame. Fire creates light, you see? So light feeds me! And if you trap me in darkness, then it feeds _my _darkness!" He cackled evilly.

Suddenly, Yuriel was out of control, spewing fireballs and shadow balls everywhere he could in a killing frenzy. Link barely dodged a fireball that would've taken his head. Yuriel laughed harder.

"Nothingness!" Red squeaked suddenly. "What if we—_eeek!—_what if we trap you in nothingness?"

Yuriel stopped firing for a second. His eyes flashed with doubt. Then he was firing again, filled with an unimaginable fury and desperation to end the lives of those magicians and swordsmen who could end his reign of terror. Toon Link beamed.

"That's it!" he exclaimed. "Red, you're a genius!"

"Really?" Red asked hopefully while dodging a large shadow ball.

Ignoring him, Toon Link turned to Toon Zelda. "We need your help," he begged. "Use your abilities with the other Zeldas and trap him in nothingness!"

"I will never allow that to happen!" Yuriel growled, cold-blooded malice filling his voice and his eyes, until they burned with a fiery passion to destroy. He shot one huge fireball at Toon Zelda, who (along with the other Zeldas) was starting to gather enough energy to defeat Yuriel once and for all.

"No!" Toon Link shrieked, flinging himself in the way of the fireball and as a result being hit himself.

"Green!" the other Toon Links cried, running to where their fallen friend lay, burned, on the cold stone floor. Red shook him gently. Vio gazed sadly at his motionless body. Blue listened, angrily, to the rhythmic breathing from his comrade that he may not have heard had Toon Link not been strong enough to stay alive after Yuriel's attack.

Yuriel growled menacingly and began firing again. Red, Blue and Vio used their shields to protect Toon Zelda, and the Zeldas, trembling, continued to build up energy. When they felt they had stored enough power, all three Zeldas shot at once, and Yuriel slowly began to fade away.

However, it seemed that for every three seconds Yuriel continued to fade away, he gained back ten times more solidity.

"It's not enough!" Young Zelda gasped. Yuriel cackled darkly.

"I told you it wouldn't work," Yuriel hissed, his words dripping poison. Desperately, the Zeldas fired harder, but Yuriel still didn't seem effected. Then one more blast joined to other three, and Yuriel finally began fading at a quick pace. He cried out in rage and turned to see Sydney holding her wand and firing the best transportation spell she could come up with.

"Sydney, be careful!" Blue ordered. Sydney gritted her teeth.

"I'll try my best," she muttered.

Yuriel screeched and hissed and growled and shrieked and hissed again, but it was no use. Soon he was so faded that he was almost invisible.

"You haven't seen the last of me," he whispered threateningly. "Especially you, Young Link..."

Then he was gone, gone forever, trapped in a world of neither light nor darkness, forced to bide his time until he could finally get someone foolish enough to listen to his lies to release him. Sydney collapsed on the floor, exhausted, and Toon Link blinked his eyes open just in time to see Yuriel disappear. Link sighed in relief and then lifted May gently off of the ground. Before they went home, there was one last thing that they had to do.


	17. The Long Journey Home

The coffin was ready. It had been crafted out of some of the trees surrounding what had once been Yuriel's castle. Link and Young Link and stood polishing it for hours, and Sydney had transported large emeralds, bright as the coffin's cargo's eyes, from a local gem mine, and Toon Link (who had almost mostly recovered from his burn injuries) decorated the smooth wood with their bright green glow. Finally, Sydney and the Zeldas had helped carry the large Yuriel statue from the forest back to the huge clearing.

Once it was there, the Links chipped away at the gray and brown stone until it was instead an image of May. Emeralds were put in place for her eyes, and Link carved an inscription on the bottom, reading, "Here lies the great mind-reader May, whose courage and beauty was unmatched. Thanks to her bravery, Yuriel the Shadow-Snake was finally defeated.

"She will be missed. She _has _been avenged."

The coffin was lowered into the hole in the middle of the clearing, and May's memorial gravestone was magically moved into place after the hole was covered. Nighttime was spent awake, holding a vigil for May, grieving her loss, and in the morning, the travelers exchanged speeches about May and stories about her courageous acts, completing her funeral.

After May's funeral, the travelers continued the journey home. They hurried out of the forest, leaving May's grave and Yuriel's castle behind. Then they reached the cave, and Young Link and the Zeldas led them through its twisting tunnels. They reached the cave's gaping abyss, and Sydney levitated them all across.

Their next stop after leaving the cave was May's village.

Link took a deep breath and knocked on May's door. Her mother cracked the door open and gazed at the rugged travelers at her house.

"Have you come for my gold and gems?" she asked cautiously. Then she noticed Zelda.

"Princess Zelda!" she gasped. "And—oh! You're that fool who stole my May's heart and led her away towards that forest!" She opened the door all the way and tipped her head.

"Ma'am, we have something to tell you about your daughter," Link began painfully, before May's mom could ask where May had gone.

"What is it?" May's mom asked suspiciously.

"Ma'am...your daughter fought with us against the great evil plaguing Hyrule and helped save this land from disaster," Link explained. "She was very brave and her skills helped save my life. But..."

"But what?" May's mom pressed anxiously.

Link took a deep breath before continuing. "She...she was poisoned by the monster who we fought."

"And?"

"I'm afraid...I'm afraid she didn't make it."

May's mom stepped back, eyes wide, as she tried to take in what she'd just heard. Grief filled her gaze as the truth of her daughter's death sunk in. Then she was on her knees, sobbing, releasing her pain in tiny outbursts of phrases like, "My May! My beautiful, sweet daughter..."

Link knelt by her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "We're all grieving too." May's mom looked up, eyes still red, stains of tears shining on her face.

"I know," she whispered at last. "I know you are. The whole reason I was always so cruel to you is because I knew this would happen. I knew she would fall for you, and follow you on your quest, and end up injured, or ill, or...dead."

"I'm so sorry," Link said again. May's mom smiled past her tears.

"I know, child," she whispered, voice full of emotion. "Now, be on your way. The village will hold a memorial tonight, honoring my precious daughter."

Link stood. "Thank you, Ma'am. We will too."

"You mean I'll never see you again?" Sydney said sadly upon hearing the news that Blue would now be returning to Toon Link's body. The group had stopped at the Four Sword sanctuary to return Vio, Red and Blue to their rightful place.

Blue nodded solemnly. "Maybe not 'never'. Next time Green draws the Four Sword, we'll be together again."

Sydney stepped closer and took his hands, fingers interlaced, gazing into his eyes.

"I don't want to wait that long to give you this," Sydney whispered, leaning closer. Slowly, she kissed Blue passionately. Blue blushed madly. Sydney pulled back and smiled.

"You just..." Blue trailed off.

"Kissed you?" Sydney finished. "I...I think I'm in love with you, Blue."

Blue smiled back. "I know I'm in love with you, Sydney," he whispered, kissing her. Blue pulled away and Sydney beamed.

"I'll miss you!" Sydney called as slowly, Toon Link lowered the Four Sword back into its place. Then the Links returned to their cottage, the Zeldas returned to their castle, and Yuriel faded away until he was only a memory. *

The End


End file.
